Loud. Louder. Lifeless.

Whales are stranding, shoals of fish are collapsing, and sea turtles are fleeing. Ocean noise pollution is claiming more and more victims. Levels of anthropogenic (human-generated) noise have doubled every decade for the past 60 years. This noise is caused by military sonar, oil & gas exploration and ships. Wild Migration has joined the Silent Oceans campaign to protect marine animals.

As partners in the Silent Oceans campaign, Wild Migration has committed to promote this 10 step blueprint against ocean noise

10 step blueprint against ocean noise

We claim that politicians and all relevant bodies take a responsible approach to ocean habitats. The existing scientific data on the influence of noise on marine animals and the need to protect endangered species must be better respected. For this reason we have developed a ten-step blueprint on ocean noise pollution.

1. Ocean noise pollution must be recognised as a serious problem by the UN General Assembly, regional institutions, international environmental institutions and organisations as well as national lawmakers and it must be tackled.

2. To reduce and regulate Ocean noise pollution, a binding global strategy must be mapped. This can include the application of the precautionary principle, the development of effective guidelines and binding regulations on noise reduction, as well as the creation of biosphere reservations, UNESCO World Heritage Marine Zones and other protected areas.

3. Up to now just close to 2% of the world's oceans have been designated as protected areas. Further protected areas are urgently needed where they are important for marine mammals and the marine biodiversity.

4. An international threshold on ocean noise must be established and noise levels in the oceans should be monitored, with their environmental impact studied. For particularly sensitive zones, noise budgets must be developed and checked to ensure that the established noise threshold is not exceeded.

5. Seismic surveys for oil and gas deposits, and extraction itself, must be forbidden in sensitive habitats. Deepwater drilling should not be allowed in the Mediterranean as a matter of principle.

6. Navies should be required to train solely in so-called ocean deserts, far away from areas with a rich variety of marine species. These areas must be identified beforehand in order to confirm they are unproductive.

7. Governments should stipulate the use of alternative technologies to conventional seismic surveying of oil and gas deposits under the seabed. All technologies that extract renewable energy from the sea, some of which can cover thousands of square kilometres, must also be surveyed independently for their environmental impact. In cases of uncertainty, the precautionary principle must be applied to ensure that ocean noise levels are not harmful for marine life.

8. Shipping must be required to develop quieter engines and improve ship design to reduce noise output. Noise emissions from all types of ship need to be measured and their impact on the marine environment investigated.

9. Those responsible for ocean noise emission must be held accountable for their environmental impact.

10. Since ocean noise pollution has a negative impact on fish, food security for both, animals and people, must be better considered as part of efforts to regulate ocean noise.

Visit the Silent Oceans campaign site
Read about the sources of ocean noise pollution
Read about Wild Migration's specific work to protect Australian sea lions from noise
Read Drowning in Sound